Summer has arrived, which means an over abundance of fresh produce is beginning to show up in farm stands and grocery stores across the country.

Next to naturally sun-ripened tomatoes, my second favorite thing about living in the Mid-west is fresh picked from the stalk sweet corn.  Depending on the farmer that you live near and the success of their crop, you can buy a dozen ears for just a few dollars!

As good as corn tastes, it’s not always fun to clean. One of the biggest frustrations for me had always been the amount of time it took to pick out all the silk between the rows of kernels.  I have a touch of OCD so getting every piece of silk from the cob became an obsession.  Now multiply that times a dozen ears of corn.  Yeah, pretty scary and very frustrating.  That is until I discovered this nifty little trick.

1) Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and place the whole, unpeeled corn ears directly on the racks.

2) Bake the corn for 30 minutes and then transfer them to a cutting board.

3) Very carefully (because they will be extremely hot), remove the husks and the silks, which should slide right off the kernels.  Voila – no silks and ready to eat!

Try it – I guarantee you will appreciate the time saver!